Psyche: A Photographic Chronicle of Marina Tsvetaeva's Life
39.99 €
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Psyche: A Photographic Chronicle of Marina Tsvetaeva's Life
39.99 €
Psyche—the embodiment of the soul in ancient Greek mythology—is how Tsvetaeva perceived herself. This book by Natalia Shainyan, senior researcher at the Marina Tsvetaeva House-Museum, offers a new perspective on the poet. It's an exploration of the soul, undertaken through the lens of the external, a series of transformations in appearance—based on Tsvetaeva's biography, her self-reflection in her work and diaries, and the testimony of her contemporaries. It's an attempt to discern and understand how the events of her own life and the greater history shape her personality and destiny, how flowering gives way to near-incorporeality, and how the spirit triumphs over time.
This publication presents for the first time all known photographs of the poet, of which approximately 150 have survived.
Published with the participation of the Marina Tsvetaeva House-Museum.
Author's note:
The book you hold in your hands combines two genres. First of all, it is the first possible complete collection of photographs of Marina Tsvetaeva discovered to date, covering her entire life; Akin to a family photo album, either nonexistent or lost. Moreover, it is her life story, a narrative of her destiny, accompanied by visuals.
This combination of images, biographical information, and various quotes creates a new perspective on Tsvetaeva—the world's first poet of the 20th century, according to Joseph Brodsky.
The photographs that comprise the book were selected according to one principle: they capture Marina Tsvetaeva—alone, with others, or in a group, in any place and at any time. Unfortunately, only a few have survived—one hundred and fifty spanning the poet's 48 years of life. There are gaps of several years between shots. There are no photographs of her with many of Tsvetaeva's significant figures, nor are there any shots of her in her cherished interiors and landscapes. But even from the surviving black-and-white photographs, one can trace how life sculpted this unique face, how the events of personal and universal history shaped the image of a brilliant woman. In addition to photographs, the book includes a small section on the poet's iconography; small because during her lifetime, Tsvetaeva rarely served as a model for artists and sculptors. It seems all the more important to us to include these reproductions in the book, to complement the poet's image, as seen not only through the lens of a camera but also through the eye of an artist.
This publication presents for the first time all known photographs of the poet, of which approximately 150 have survived.
Published with the participation of the Marina Tsvetaeva House-Museum.
Author's note:
The book you hold in your hands combines two genres. First of all, it is the first possible complete collection of photographs of Marina Tsvetaeva discovered to date, covering her entire life; Akin to a family photo album, either nonexistent or lost. Moreover, it is her life story, a narrative of her destiny, accompanied by visuals.
This combination of images, biographical information, and various quotes creates a new perspective on Tsvetaeva—the world's first poet of the 20th century, according to Joseph Brodsky.
The photographs that comprise the book were selected according to one principle: they capture Marina Tsvetaeva—alone, with others, or in a group, in any place and at any time. Unfortunately, only a few have survived—one hundred and fifty spanning the poet's 48 years of life. There are gaps of several years between shots. There are no photographs of her with many of Tsvetaeva's significant figures, nor are there any shots of her in her cherished interiors and landscapes. But even from the surviving black-and-white photographs, one can trace how life sculpted this unique face, how the events of personal and universal history shaped the image of a brilliant woman. In addition to photographs, the book includes a small section on the poet's iconography; small because during her lifetime, Tsvetaeva rarely served as a model for artists and sculptors. It seems all the more important to us to include these reproductions in the book, to complement the poet's image, as seen not only through the lens of a camera but also through the eye of an artist.
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author